Android versions of the popular Opera browser have just received some huge updates today. Both Opera Mobile and Opera Mini now sport feature sets that should make them among the most sought-after browsers on nearly any Android device.

Opera Mini, which compresses pages on Opera's servers before delivering to you (for better speeds on phones with slow data connections) now has the following:

Pinch to zoom

Improved panning and zooming performance

New UI optimized for tablets

Refreshed user interface

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Meanwhile the more traditional Opera Mobile browser (for when your data speeds are just peachy) got the following upgrades:

Adobe Flash support

New UI for tablet devices

Much faster and smoother panning and zooming

Improved text-wrap on zoom

Smart-tap: auto-zoom and highlights links if ambiguous link click

Remember tabs from previous session

You can see Opera's promo video of the new updates in action in the clip below:

These have been much-anticipated updates for two of the speediest and smoothest browsers in the Market, but we are still looking forward to absent features like User Agent switching and full-screen mode. For now, however, we will happily accept these improvements. You can check the two versions out at the links below.

Comments

very nice updates. they were much needed for sure. may check this out again.

Eric

Opera mobile can now remember tabs? That was the only reason I left it. I'm going to have to install it on both my nook honeycomb and my phone.

Ted

I am a total Opera fanboy on the desktop but I have yet to see any browser that compels me to use any but the stock Android browser. What am I missing?

Paul

I'm the same in the sense of FireFox. I like FireFox for the desktop but haven't found a reason to switch from the stock Android browser. I know flash didn't appear to work in FireFox for Android, what about Opera for Android.

Vidit Bhargava

I use Dolphin Browser HD on my Nexus One for the sole reason that Dolphin has the option of saving cache on SD card.

Opera Mobile on Android stores a LOT of cache on the phone memory, that's why I uninstalled it. I am an Opera fan for desktop too.

tony

You can enable "Opera Turbo" in Opera Mobile to compress the web pages before they reach you as well. I, personally, don't see a reason to use Mini, except maybe for less powerful devices.

Gogol

You can change the user agent easily.
Go to opera:config on the address bar.
Then user-prefs --> Custom User Agent.

DONE! It works :)

Will Shanklin

Great tip - I had no idea. I'll leave my request for it in the post though, since most users won't want to mess with that.

cowgar

I' ve tried this (2&3 thus firefox and internet explorer) but I am still getting mobile pages of various sites including this one.
Firefox with extension can overcome this.
Any adblock for opera mobile?
Still the best browser I've used on galaxy tab.
Sent from gt.

AzBoy

I downloaded it once and it failed to install. Tried to download it again and the download failed. What gives?

Recluse

Where is the search button?

RinTinTin

NEEDS AD-BLOCK! It works for windows 7 users, why not Android users, which no doubt comprise the vast majority of Opera Mobile users? These cycling gif ads are distracting, slowing me down and costing data usage.

It's otherwise fantastic.. though facebook has a much better UI on the stock browser, not sure why.